An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

My poor kids have been stuck in the house all week (except for a few hours on Wednesday when my friend Kristi came and took them to the park) because I haven't felt like doing anything. But it is the first time all summer they have been bored, I think. We have managed to stay busy, until this week. I starting getting a cold last weekend, but I was feeling better by Monday. But Monday evening and Tuesday morning I started feeling bad again. My throat/neck was feeling very sore and tender, and I knew what was happening. The same thing that has been happening for the last few years. I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Wednesday. He put me on an antibiotic, sent me to get some blood work done, and asked me to come back in on Friday. But today he called and asked me to come in ASAP. I freaked out, of course, and started thinking the worst. What couldn't wait til tomorrow? He laughed when I told him I was freaked out. It wasn't bad, or at least not as bad as I had imagined. He said I have hypothyroidism, which means my thyroid is underactive. He named several of the symptoms......yes, yes, yes, and yes. That explains a lot. He put me on a medication, and I have to be tested again in a few weeks to make sure my levels are where they are supposed to be. Hopefully I will start having more energy, and a huge bonus, be able to lose weight a little easier. But that also probably means I need to start exercising and eating better too. And, eating more apples.

Best Friends Photo Shoot

Sarah Beth did a photo shoot for the girls a few weeks ago when they spent the night at the Zachary's house. They turned out pretty cute!



These girls love to get together and play and have a good time.



I think they have many more years of friendship and fun to look forward to.

Our Growing Family

This afternoon we took the girls to Petco "just to look around."



And we came home with these guys.



The girls have been asking for a pet for a while now. We told them that they have to be more responsible in order to have a pet. So they have been working hard to keep their room clean, and saving their allowance.



So when they started asking if they could get a fish for a pet, we thought it was a good place to start. We told them they would have to use their allowance to pay for half, and we would pay for the other half. They were so excited to each get to pick out their own fish. Sarah picked out the pinkish/blueish one, and named him Rosie Rosetta Young. I told her it was a male fish, but she didn't want to change the name.



Katie's fish is a really pretty blue, and she named hers Ashley Young. She didn't care either that her fish is a male.



They are male bettas, which are very aggressive toward other male bettas, so they have to be separated.



I'm not sure if a fish is the right pet for Sarah. She really wants to hold her fish. She also keeps asking if he can take a bath with her.



I love this picture of them making fish faces! They crack me up!



Good night Rosie and Ashley! Sleep well!

I Scream! You Scream! We all scream for ICE CREAM!

National Ice Cream month can only be properly celebrated one way---with an ice cream party of course! So we invited some friends over, made homemade ice cream, and just enjoyed hanging out and catching up. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try out the new recipes I was hoping too, so I guess we'll just have to have another one soon!

An UN-Birthday Party

Last week the kids got a package from their "Barnett Bunch" cousins. It was the cutest package. There were cards for all three of them telling them about their "UN-Birthday" package. It had a sign, decorations, a cake mix and icing, stickers, silly bandz, suckers, and gifts for each of them. They were so excited about the "UN-Birthday" package. So we decided to have an "UN-Birthday" Party.



So we put up the sign.



And the decorations.



And made the cake.



And invited some friends over.



And we had a very happy "UN-birthday" party! We played Wii games and ate lunch.



Then we sang Happy UN-Birthday to everyone. And since it was everyone's UN-birthday, we all got to blow out candles. It was a super fun day. We only wish our Barnett Bunch cousins (and all of our other cousins too!) had been here to help us celebrate our UN-birthdays. Thanks for the awesome package and party Barnett Bunch! We love you guys tons!

Our Future Missionary

John David found one of Aaron's old missionary tags and was playing with it today.



I thought it was so cute. And then I thought about how the time will fly by, and before I know it, he'll be getting one of those for himself. And I may have gotten a little teary eyed.

Babe Magnet

We had the Vermillions, and their cute little girl, Mariah, over for dinner tonight.



She was a little taken with John David.



Okay, completely.



Seriously, she couldn't keep her hands off of him.



This was the scene every two minutes.



Here she is waiting to pounce again.



The Vermillions felt bad because they felt like Mariah was torturing John David. I thought it was rather humorous. I told them it was okay. In a few years, it will be John David chasing her down and torturing her.

Blueberry Preserves

I made my first attempt ever at blueberry preserves today. It was a very simple process, actually. One cup of sugar per cup of berries.



Cook 'em down.



Ladle into jars.



Process for 15 minutes.



And viola! Blueberry preserves. They were divine over the buttermilk pancakes we had for dinner. So easy, even I can do it. Here is the recipe I used.

Combine berries and sugar and let sit for ten minutes.
Bring slowly to a boil, occasionally stirring until sugar dissolves.
Cook rapidly almost to a gelling point, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary.
Ladle in to hot jars, leaving a 1/4inch head space.
Cap jars.
Process 15 minutes.

The Daddy Special

A few weeks ago Sarah asked Aaron to make her a peanut butter sandwich. So he made her a peanut butter sandwich, but added a little something extra. When she bit into the sandwich, she discovered the "surprise" and loved it. Knowing how much she loves chocolate, he had sprinkled a few chocolate chips on the peanut butter. It has become her favorite, and when she wants one, she asks, "Can I have a Daddy special?" If she asks me to make it, she calls it the "Mommy special" because I use a cookie cutter to make it in a heart shape.

Pioneer Day

Our ward had a Pioneer Day celebration this afternoon.



The girls enjoyed making bonnets and butter.



Katie really enjoyed eating her butter on Sister Newton's homemade rolls.



I even talked them into wearing these cute bonnets that a dear friend made for a Pioneer Day celebration a few years ago. I am so grateful for the amazing legacy of faith and endurance of the pioneers.

"It is not enough to study or reenact the accomplishments of our pioneers. We need to identify the great, eternal principles they applied to achieve all they achieved for our benefit and then apply those principles to the challenges of our day. In that way we honor their pioneering efforts, and we also reaffirm our heritage and strengthen its capacity to bless our own posterity and those millions of our Heavenly Father's children who have yet to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all pioneers in doing so."
(Dallin H. Oaks, "Following the Pioneers," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 72)

Live and Learn

We drove down to the Gulf this morning and went to Mae Beach.



First item of business.........getting Paw Paw's truck unstuck.



Yeah, it was pretty bad.



Second item of business..........getting the four wheeler unstuck.



This is what happens when you use a four wheeler to try to pull a truck out of the sand.



But it was easy to fix. Luckily we had invited the Laughlins to come with us, so they pulled our four wheeler out with their four wheeler.



Then Vicki tried to pull the truck out with her SUV (which was Aaron's idea, not hers). Yeah, it didn't work.



Luckily there was a nice guy with four wheel drive down the beach a little way, and he came and pulled the truck out. And when Aaron tried to turn the truck around facing the other way, he got stuck again. So the nice guy came back and pulled him out again.



So after all of the getting unstuck business was done, we had some fun four wheelin'.



I love these cute people.



We enjoyed the Laughlins company at the beach.



And their shade too.



Katie had fun playing in the water, which we don't normally do because of the swimming advisories that are always posted. But it was SO hot. I think she was wishing she had brought a swimsuit with her. I would have even let her swim, mainly because she was so stressed out about the truck being stuck--to the point of tears. She needed to relax, and make some fun memories of this trip.



We told her to think of it as an adventure. When we asked her what she learned from her adventure she said, "We need a truck with four wheel drive!" Smart girl.



It was a memorable adventure.

Flowers for Maw Maw

Today we went to visit Maw Maw Mire. We decided to bring her flowers, and the girls loved getting to pick out just the right ones--white daisies (my favorite) and yellow roses. They were really pretty. Maw Maw was so happy to see us, and to get the flowers. I love how flowers just make you want to smile. We had a great visit with her, and look forward to visiting her again soon.

Cuccios

Last week we went to Cuccio's for one of our summer fun activities.



First the girls picked out something to paint. Sarah, of course, had to have the snake.



Katie picked out a high heel shoe.



Then they painted.



And added details.



They both like polka dots, obviously.



I wanted to paint a bowl or plate, and have the kids put their hand prints on it. But I figured I'd better wait until John David is a little older and more cooperative. Then we gave the projects back to so they could be glazed and fired. Today we went to pick up the girls' projects.



I love how red Katie's shoe turned out. So cute.



And Sarah's snake turned out pretty too. The girls loved this activity, and already want to go back to make something else.